Indian deeptech startup Proxgy on Wednesday unveiled ThumbPay, a low-cost biometric payment device that allows users to make transactions using only their thumbprint, eliminating the need for phones, cards or wallets.
The device links Aadhaar – India’s national biometric ID system – with Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the country’s instant digital payments platform. By placing their thumb on the device, users are authenticated through Aadhaar-enabled payment system (AePS), with funds then debited from their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts via UPI.
“This is a creative synthesis of India’s digital infrastructure,” Proxgy’s founder and CEO Pulkit Ahuja told Reuters. “ThumbPay lets people transact with nothing but their inherent identity, embodying the spirit of ‘Digital India, by India’.”
Features and affordability
The compact device integrates a thumbprint scanner with liveness detection, a small camera for added verification, UV sterilisation for hygiene, and a keypad with display for amount entry. It supports 4G, Wi-Fi and LoRaWAN connectivity, enabling use in low-connectivity areas, and doubles as a UPI soundbox.
Merchants can also accept payments via QR codes or NFC, making the device interoperable with existing systems. ThumbPay operates on battery power, allowing deployment in rural markets and areas with unreliable electricity.
Priced at under 2,000 rupees ($25), the company says it is among the world’s most affordable biometric payment solutions. Unlike palm-vein scanners used in China’s PalmPay, ThumbPay leverages existing Indian infrastructure, avoiding additional enrolment processes.
Market potential
India’s digital payments ecosystem has grown rapidly, with UPI processing more than 13 billion transactions in August 2025. Proxgy believes ThumbPay can expand adoption in segments underserved by smartphones or cards, such as elderly citizens, daily wage workers and small vendors.
Field trials have already been conducted with select merchants. Proxgy is now seeking compliance approvals from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) before a phased rollout with banks and fintech partners.
Ahuja compared the innovation to DigiYatra, India’s biometric boarding system at airports. “ThumbPay could do for payments what DigiYatra did for travel – your thumb becomes your wallet,” he said.
About Proxgy
Founded in 2020, Gurugram-based Proxgy has developed products across IoT, mobility and fintech, and has raised over $5 million in funding. The company, a Shark Tank India alum, holds more than 70 patents and markets devices including SmartHat, AirShifter, Sleefe and UPI soundboxes.
